1. Field Of The Invention
The invention described herein pertains to seals for doorway thresholds and particularly pertains to weather seals for thresholds which vertically adjust to compensate for unevenness between the door and threshold to provide a weathertight entry.
2. Description Of The Prior Art And Objectives Of The Invention
In recent years manufacturers of door thresholds and the like have attempted to improve the efficiency and reduce the labor costs of threshold installations. One of the recent advancements in the field is the production of thresholds which include a vertically movable member which can be easily adjusted by installers on-site to compensate for doors that are "high cut" or are out of square. While such adjustable thresholds have been found to work very well under ideal circumstances, once they are installed and are under actual use conditions, problems have developed pertaining to the seal components which make the thresholds weathertight. For example, adjustable threshold seals are generally manufactured of a limited compression or non-resilient polymeric material such as a polyvinyl choloride composition, which may fit and seal perfectly upon installation, but due to its limited resiliency be found later, after a few months of use to have shrunk, contracted, or lost its resiliency thereby losing its sealing characteristics. Also, some vertically adjustable thresholds are tightly sealed when in a downward position, yet when they are adjusted by raising at the job site, the seal does not then adequately close the space between the vertically movable member and the stationary base, thereby creating a potential moisture entry. In addition, conventional vinyl seals have been found to split or crack when trimmed during manufacture or at the installation site and water and other debris have entered a cracked seal causing a variety of problems. Imperfect seals, under storm or windy conditions can allow damaging water to enter the house, building or other enclosure, much to the dismay of the building occupants.
Thus, with the problems and disadvantages associated with conventional adjustable threshold seals, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a seal which can be easily installed and replaced and overcomes the problems associated with prior art threshold seals.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a threshold seal which includes a resilient compressible portion which will provide a weathertight seal when positioned contiguous to a vertically movable member, regardless of the position of the vertical member relative to its fixed base.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a threshold seal in which the compressible member acts as a follower which will move or roll relative to the motion of the movable member during adjustment thereof.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a seal for an adjustable threshold which comprises a resilient tubular member formed from a synthetic polymer foam having a water impervious, durable outer skin.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a threshold seal which is formed from a polymeric material which includes a non-compressible somewhat T-shaped cross section portion which is integrally joined to a resilient compressible tubular portion along the top of the "T".
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as details are fully revealed below.